Who needs special care, anyway?

“Igsoon ko, tulubagon ko,” this is the cry of the Catholic Church as the Archdiocese of Davao is celebrating her diamond anniversary this year, a pastoral care of people in need of special attention was launched at the University of Immaculate Conception, Bajada Campus, last 3 March 2024, jam-packed by not less than 500 laity from various parishes.

The launching was inspired with the keynote sharing of Sir Lunar Fayloga, MAT, a renowned theology professor of the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) and of the Ignatian Institute of Religious Education Foundation (IIREF), entitled as, ‘Church of the Poor and Integral Evangelization: Journeying and Caring for People in Need of Special Attention’.

Fayloga’s keynote has four essential elements: 1) Understanding Church of the poor and integral evangelization; 2) Pathways to truly being and becoming a (listening) Church of the poor; 3) Roadblocks to becoming a Church of the poor; and 4) Conclusion: Illum oportet crescere (Jn 3:30).

Fayloga quoted the ‘Document for Continental Stage of the Synod, No. 40,’ in the understanding Church of the poor and integral evangelization, vis-à-vis the special concerns of the PCP II: prisoners, tribal Filipinos, children, youth, women, peasants, urban poor, fisherfolks, and the disabled; recommending everyone to revisit, reflect and re-assess our being Church of the poor as articulated in PCP II Nos. 122-136.

As a synodal Church, Fayloga encouraged the delegates to converse, critique and commit to (renewed) integral evangelization as articulated in PCP II Nos. 154-374, reminding the challenge of Pope Paul VI that the Church is both the object and subject of evangelization (Evangelii Nuntiandi No. 15) in proclaiming salvation through the interplay of gospel truths and man’s concrete total life (EN No. 9, 21).

Fayloga also stressed the two important elements in the integral evangelization: 1) announcing the message of salvation (that means, inter-relatedness of the renewed catechesis, social apostolate, and worship); and 2) announcing the message of liberation (that evangelization is not complete without temporal liberation, as well as the formation of a social conscience).

According to Fayloga, there are three invitations to consider as pathways to truly being and becoming a (listening) Church of the poor: 1) to embrace one’s poverty, woundedness, brokenness, weakness, and sinfulness, by becoming a ‘wounded healer’, a genuine solidarity like the works of Mother Theresa; 2) to follow the example of the good Samaritan, by building bridge that can lead to healing and life changing encounter; and 3) to live the spirit of synodality and stewardship, and by asking the questions that Saint Ignatius of Loyola asked: What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What ought I do for Christ?

There are two blocks to become a Church of the poor, warned Fayloga: 1) throw away culture, when sick, weak and poor people are considered to be liabilities; and 2) ‘poorism’, exploitation of the poverty of other people; for them, a new evangelization is an invitation to acknowledge the saving power at work in their lives (Evangelii Gaidium). (Vonz M. Hijada, MAT / OLLP SoCCom)